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Bo Nickal's Next Goal: UFC Star

Nickal, a three-time NCAA wrestling champ at Penn State, is headed to Dana White's Contender Series.

Mark Wogenrich

Bo Nickal is taking a substantial next step in his MMA career by joining Dana White's Contender Series, which could lead to a UFC contract and potential stardom.

Nickal, Penn State's three-time NCAA champ who made his MMA debut with a 33-second knockout, will fight in Dana White's Contender Series on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas. Nickal told MMA Junkie that he wants to be the world's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, which means fighting in UFC.

The bout will be broadcast on ESPN+.

"That’s always been the goal for me, the dream for me, and I’m just excited to kind of start this off with Dana White’s Contender Series and just have my first taste of what it’s like to be a fighter in the UFC," Nickal told MMA Junkie.

Nickal is participating in Season 6 of Dana White's Contender Series, in which aspiring fighters can earn UFC contracts. He is scheduled to fight Zachary Borrego (3-0) in a middleweight bout. Fans can watch the fight on ESPN+.

Nickal brings a 1-0 professional MMA record to Dana White's Contender Series. He made his professional MMA debut by knocking out John Noland in June.

Nickal finished his Penn State wrestling career with a 120-3 record, which includes 59 falls. He went 19-1 at the NCAA tournament, placing second at 184 pounds in 2016. Nickal then won NCAA titles from 2017-19 and claimed the Hodge Award, wrestling's Heisman Trophy, in 2019.

Nickal shifted to MMA a little over a year after his historic U.S. Olympic Trials bout against fellow former Nittany Lion David Taylor. Taylor and Nickal met in the 86 kg freestyle final at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials.

Taylor swept the best-of-three series to earn a trip to the Tokyo Games, where he became the first Penn State wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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